At a joint luncheon held Thursday by the Cadiz/Trigg County Chamber of Commerce and the Cadiz Rotary Club, Major General James McConville, the featured speaker, thanked the communities around Fort Campbell for their support.

“I was talking to some community leaders today, I said, ‘You don’t realize how much you all put into the community, but we get a lot back,’” said McConville. “And we really do, and that’s why most of us fight to come back here. And we want to come back here. And we may go away, but we do everything that we can to come back here because it’s such a wonderful place to serve.”

McConville, a native of Quincy, Mass., visited Cadiz for the first time since becoming commander of Fort Campbell and of the 101st Airborne Division last year. At the luncheon, held at the Cadiz Baptist Church annex, he said there are 30,000 soldiers, 8,000 civilians and 53,000 family members at Fort Campbell, in addition to 150,000 retirees who live in the Fort Campbell area.

The military base pumps $4.5 billion into the local economies every year, said McConville, who added that the 101st has some of the best of the best of the soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers.

“I’m honored to serve with each and every one of them,” said McConville, who continue to talk about the base’s economic impact. “Only one-third of our families live at Fort Campbell. Most live in your communities. They’re out here, going to your churches, shopping in your stores, and they are an integral part of your community.”

For the rest of this story, see this week's issue of The Cadiz Record or subscribe to our e-Edition by calling 270-522-6605.